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On The Pitch With Raphael Cox

The Washington men's soccer team has opened the season 7-0-0 and has garnered a national ranking of fourth in the NSCAA/adidas poll the last two weeks. One of the many keys to the team's success has been the play of sophomore transfer Raphael Cox. Cox has helped the Huskies become one of the most explosive offensive teams in the nation with his speed and finesse at the left wing position. Cox sat down with GoHuskies.com after a training session this week to talk about how the team is doing so far, how he ended up at Washington and the start school next week.

GoHuskies.com: How does it feel to enter the Pac-10 season undefeated?Raphael Cox: 'It feels really good. I am really confident that we will keep this undefeated streak going through the Pac-10. The guys are all playing well right now and we are rolling.'

GH: Is the team excited to open the Pac-10 season against Oregon State?RC: 'Yeah, we can't wait. With the new team I am really excited to see what we can do against them.'

GH: Have the coaches referenced the fact that Oregon State was 2-0 against the Huskies last season?RC: 'The guys haven't really talked too much about it but I know that it is a sore subject. So, I am ready to clean the slate.'

GH: What was the process you took from playing at Stadium High School then onto Highline Community College and later transferring to the University of Washington?RC: 'I wasn't highly recruited out of high school and I don't think that my grades were good enough to go to many places so I stayed local and went to Highline Community College. It was great, I had a great experience there. It is a good program. I played my first year there and then I sat out my next year because I was getting recruited by a couple of local schools. I sat out so I could have three years of eligibility instead of two. That last year I trained with the team and kicked the ball around a lot. I practiced with Highline in the fall and in the winter I did club training with a couple of local teams and in the summer I played with the Sounders and the Saints. I was busy the whole year.'

GH: How did Washington begin to recruit you?RC: 'When Spencer (Schmidt) transferred, they had an extra spot. They saw me play at Highline the previous year, they heard about me and needed a left winger so gave me a call.'

GH: What are you studying this upcoming fall?RC: 'I think that I am going to major in sociology. This fall I have a sociology class and a paper science class.'

GH: Do you think the adjustment will be difficult with school starting in a week?RC: 'I don't think so, with the tutors and the academic support I think that I can get it done.'

GH: Does that help having the soccer season start nearly a full month before the academic quarter begins?RC: 'Yeah I think that it helps a lot. You get to meet the guys, they give you tips on school and everything which is good and get to know the campus.'

GH: Are you living in the dorms this school year?RC: 'No, I am living in an apartment with Steve Mohn and Ty Harden, it's really close to campus which will be good during the school year.'

GH: What does the team do for fun when they are not competing or practicing?RC: 'Usually we play FIFA, an XBOX game, or we play Mario Cart. We just hang out, listen to music and relax.'